1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a braking system for use with a flywheel of a mechanical press and, more particularly, to a wet-type flywheel brake assembly integrated into the quill assembly and which uses oil provided to the flywheel bushing assembly.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mechanical presses of the type performing industrial activity such as stamping and drawing operations have a conventional configuration including a frame structure with a crown and bed portion and a slide supported within the frame for reciprocating movement toward and away from the bed. A crankshaft rotatably disposed within the crown is arranged in driving connection with the slide using a connecting arm assembly. A flywheel assembly rotatably driven by a drive mechanism is selectively connectable with the crankshaft for driving rotation thereof, utilizing a clutch/brake combination to make the driving connection. These mechanical presses are used in a wide variety of workpiece operations employing a large selection of die sets, with the press machine varying substantially in size and available tonnage depending upon the intended use.
The primary source for stored mechanical energy in mechanical presses is the flywheel, which is conventionally located between the main drive motor and the clutch. The flywheel and its associated bearing are mounted on either the driveshaft, crankshaft, or the press frame by use of a quill. The main drive motor replenishes the energy lost from the flywheel during press stamping operations when the clutch couples the flywheel to the press driven parts. During engagement of the clutch, the flywheel drops in speed as the press driven parts are brought up to press running speed. The flywheel rotates in unison with the engaged clutch while the flywheel bearings have no relative rotation, except for the case of a quill arrangement whereby relative rotation is always present.
Prior art flywheel brakes are usually pneumatically-applied dry-friction brakes subject to considerable wear due to their design and must be serviced and replaced frequently. The flywheel brake is typically mounted in or on the press crown, so if it must be serviced, the press must be shut down while maintenance personnel gain access to and repair the flywheel brake and/or renew the linings. Press down time leads to lost production, adding to the expense of flywheel brake service. In addition, due to the many different flywheel and press structures, multiple costly flywheel brake mounting configurations are used.